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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitch — completely
  9. track — a path
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a song
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. board — to get on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com